LIMA – Following the devastating floods affecting large parts of the country, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Peruvian government have been preparing for the IOC session to be held in September.
The 130th IOC session is scheduled to take place in Lima city from 13 September 2017. It will see the election of the host city for the Olympic Games 2024 from the Candidate Cities of Los Angeles and Paris.
Peru President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, over the weekend, says it is important that the IOC session goes ahead following the floods that have hit the country.
“The eyes of the world will be on Lima and we believe that hosting the IOC Session will send a vital message to the world and to Peru that we are ready to welcome the world after the emergency situation.
“In addition, the event will bring positive international attention to the country as we receive several heads of states, many high-level government officials and over 2,000 international press members. This is why we have reaffirmed our support to the organisation of the IOC session,” Mr. Kuczynski added.
He further said that the event has already been declared of national interest and “we will now issue an Executive Order that creates the framework to implement the declaration and support”.
Speaking for the IOC, President Thomas Bach said: “This decision of the IOC Executive Board is also a demonstration of solidarity with Peru and its people following the wish of the Peruvian government.
“The Peruvian government has given us all necessary assurances that the IOC Session will be organised in a great way,” he added.
Last week, the IOC, together with Olympic Solidarity and the Pan-American Sports Organisation (PASO), announced a donation of USD 600,000 to support the immediate flood recovery efforts in Peru.
The Executive Board also took the decision today that the first Olympism in Action Forum will now be held in Buenos Aires in conjunction with the Youth Olympic Games 2018.
This decision will help facilitate the task of Peru and will also have the advantage of the link to the Youth Olympic Games, since ‘Youth’ is one of three pillars of Olympic Agenda 2020, and the Forum will be a chance to take stock of the already far-reaching implementation of the reforms. It will also help to draw global attention to the Youth Olympic Games.
The Olympism in Action Forum will be another major step towards the realization of Olympic Agenda 2020, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders to address the role of sport in society.
